The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument that was popular as
early as the 14th century. At the time its name was coined, the word
recorden was used, meaning to play or to practice music, thus the
recorder. It is a member of a family of end-blown flutes, known as
fipple flutes, which includes flageolets and tin whistles. The
recorder is set apart from these other members of the family by
eight holes along its pipe.

How does it Work?

The eight holes of the recorder are comprised of seven finger holes
and an additional hole for the thumb of the upper hand. The lower
two holes are normally smaller than the rest and positioned side by
side so that the player can cover them with a single finger. The
recorder itself is a pipe, traditionally made of wood but also from
plastic in modern times. By blowing into the slot at the mouthpiece,
a note is produced by air being forced against the hard edge called
the labium. The musician varies the note by covering and uncovering
the holes along the instrument’s pipe.

The Parts of a Recorder

A recorder is normally comprised of three separate parts, known as
joints. The top part is known as the head joint because it houses
the mouthpiece. The body joint is the main pipe of the recorder.
This part has most of the finger holes. The bottom section is called
the foot joint and it has the final finger hole, which must be
turned slightly so as not to line up perfectly with the other holes.
On some recorders, the body joint and the foot joint are a single
piece.

The beak is the narrow section of the mouthpiece and the part that
the musician places between their lips. The narrow tube that is
being blown into, extending from the beak, is referred to as the
windway. As the air exits the windway, it strikes against a sharp
edge called the labium. This process produces the sound. The opening
in the recorder that extends from the end of the windway to the
other end of the labium is known as the window.

A Brief History

The oldest known recorder was discovered at the bottom of a moat in
Holland during the 1940s and the instrument has since been dated to
the 14th century. However, it was during the 16th and 17th centuries
that the recorder experienced its heyday. It was during this period
that music was becoming accessible to the masses and no longer the
exclusive domain of the nobility. Consorts became common. These were
groups of musicians using varying-sized recorders. These instruments
had limited range individually but blended to produce full music.
Today, we refer to them as Renaissance recorders.

Unfortunately, as the orchestra grew in popularity, the recorder
fell out of favor. This happened because the recorder was not loud
enough to play alongside the other instruments. By the end of the
18th century, the flute had completely supplanted the recorder. The
recorder and the techniques used to play them were fading.
Fortunately, in the 20th century, there was a revival of interest in
the music and instruments played in olden times. The recorder was at
the center of this revival because it was no longer used and
therefore intriguing. Instrument makes began to make recorders once
again and the techniques for playing them were rediscovered. Today,
there is no shortage of quality recorders and musicians able to play
them.

Playing the Recorder:
Step 1: Tonguing

Hold the recorder. Don’t worry about the holes or finger placement
for the moment. Put the beak between your lips but make sure that
your teeth are not touching it. Whisper the word “do”. Beginning
each note by whispering “do” is called tonguing and it produces a
clean start to the note. Practice stringing several “dos” together
in rapid succession. You should be able to produce a steady note for
thirty-seconds doing this. If you cannot, you may be blowing too
hard. Be sure to breathe from your diaphragm and blow evenly.

Step 2: Play a Note

Once you feel comfortable tonguing, it is time to try a note. We
will start with the note B. Place you left thumb over the hole on
the back of the recorder and place the left index finger over the
top hole. Now begin by whispering “do” and then blow gently.
Congratulations. That note you just heard was a B. If you did not
hear a note, try again making sure that you finger and thumb stay
flat against the holes they are covering.

Step 3: Learn the Left Hand Notes

The fingering chart for that B note you just played is 0 1-- ----.
The zero represents your thumb and the one represents the first hole
because it is being covered. The remaining holes are indicated by
dashes because they remain uncovered to produce the B note.

Here are some more left hand notes:

A = 0 12- ----
G = 0 123 ----
C' = 0 -2- ----
D' = - -2- ----

The tick beside certain notes indicates that it is a high note. The
two indicates the second finger on the left hand. The three
indicates the third finger on the left hand. The notes G A B C' D'
form the sequence do re mi fa so. With these five notes, you can
play a simple tune in the key of G, such as Mary Had a Little Lamb:
B A G A B B B, A A A, B D' D', B A G A B B B, A A B A G.

Step 4: Learn the Right Hand Notes

Once you are comfortable using you left hand, you can try the right
hand holes. The fingers on your right hand are numbered 4, 5, 6 and
7, with 4 being the index finger. Here are some notes:

E = 0 123 45—
D = 0 123 456-
F# = 0 123 -56-

Notice that this D does not have a tick like the D’ above. This
means that it is a low D. The pound sign indicates that the note is
sharp, as in F sharp. Practice these notes by playing them in this
order: G E D F# G E D F#. Once you feel comfortable with them, try
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: D D A A B B A, G G F# F# E E D.

Here are two more notes than can be especially difficult for new
players due to the number of holes that must be covered:

F = 0 123 4-67
C = 0 123 4567

Note that this F is lower than the F# we learned earlier. You can
practice these notes by playing Auld Lang Syne: C F F F A G F G A F
F A C' D'.

Step 5: Learn the Semitones

Semitones are the notes between notes. On a piano, this is what the
black keys are used for. The most commonly used semitone is F#,
which we learned earlier.

This might seem like great deal of instruction but in truth, we have
only scratched the surface of playing the recorder. Practice playing
Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Auld Lang Syne,
and Baa Baa Black Sheep. Once you have mastered these, you will be
ready to move on to the more advanced aspects of playing the
recorder.